I have big, big plans for 2024. For the sake of time, length and your sanity, I’ll focus on the reading part of ‘plans’ right now but let it be said – this is (finally) going to be the year that is ✨ my year ✨. The reading challenge for 2024 is ambitious – 75 books. That works out at around one book every five days. This makes it sound much more manageable than I expect it will be. Partly because reading slumps are not unknown to me, and partly because I do like to read some long ol’ books that I expect will surpass the 5 day limit. This aside, I know I’m going to smash my January 2024 TBR out of the park (or bookshop, I guess).
📖 Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang
Unbeknownst to anyone (including myself) I like to read a tome in January. Usually it’s a novel from the Victorian era – last year it was Jane Eyre – but this year I’m choosing something written in this century. If you haven’t heard of Babel then girl, you must be living under some big BIG rock. This book was all over my BookTube and BookTok in 2022, topping off the year being nominated for the GoodReads Best Fantasy award.
It tells the tale of Robin Swift, an orphan who is brought to London to learn a variety of different languages. This is in preparation for the day he will enroll in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation aka, Babel. Here, magical silver bars are powered by the meaning of words that have been lost in translation. This magic keeps Britain in its place of colonial power. As tensions between China and Britain brew, Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, is torn between betraying his motherland and serving the country where he was brought up. I haven’t read any Kuang before, but I expect this book to be one that takes much concentration and will leave me with many an interesting conversation starter.
📖 Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The bright luscious pink of this cover is what drove me to pick it up off the shelf in The Works and honestly, I bought it without really knowing what it is about. Turns out: Witches and queers. Perfect, sign me up. From my understanding, there’s a large coven of witches in the UK who are trying to fight a great evil but actually, the biggest threat of all lies within their coven. It follows the tale of a group of five friends and whatever kicks off in this book is not resolved as the sequel – The Shadow Cabinet – is already out in hardback. I’ve been meaning to read a book by Juno Dawson for quite a while, so I’m looking forward to finally delving into her work and the entire premise of this book is right up my street.
📖 A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid
Another book that took BookTok / BookTube by storm! I’m mostly excited about this one because the blurb has soooo many Welsh words in it – Hiraeth, Myrddin, Angharad. Like, is this set in Wales?!! In this we follow Effy Sayre, who is obsessed with the fairy tale Angharard, written by Emrys Myrddin. When the opportunity arises to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy jumps at the chance. But there’s a catch, Preston Héloury, a literary scholar, is also living at the estate and he’s on a mission to prove that Myrddin was a fraud. Sigh, must men ruin all our wildest fantasies? Anyway, the two rivals (hopefully, enemies to lovers), end up working together as dark magical, and mortal, forces work tirelessly against them. However, will the truth about Myrddin set them free? Or lead them down a path of wrack and ruin?
📖 Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
A second book on my TBR that only came out last year! Go me with the new releases! I am 100% reading this book because Regan over at PeruseProject raved about it and basically all my book recs come from her. I’ve been subscribed to her channel for like, 7 years and she’s never once let me down.
This book is set in Eden, a crumbling and cruddy town that our protagonist, Opal, is gagging to get her and her brother out of. When a job comes up at Starling House, Eden’s claim to fame as an illustrious nineteenth century writer lived here, wrote a famous book and then vanished, Opal takes this as her chance to earn some money and get. out. However, Starling House is a package deal. Arthur Starling is its last remaining heir and not going anywhere. When sinister forces converge on the house, Arthur and Opal must confront the past (and their fears) to save themselves, the town, and the people they care about the most. Bitch, you know I love a gothic fantasy with haunted houses and forgotten towns. Seeing as this is the second book on my January 2024 TBR with a similar premise, it’ll be interesting to see which one hits harder for me.
These four books are my definite reads for January, which gives room for another 2-3 books that I can pick out based on my mood. I’m going to be disciplined. I’m determined NOT to fall behind in the first month of the year. Pob lwc!